Posted to News on 25th Feb 2015, 16:16
Compressed air maintenance tips at Maintec 2015
At Maintec 2015, Atlas Copco Compressors is joining forces with its newly announced distributor of the year, Air Kraft Ltd, to highlight the importance of authentic maintenance programmes. Users of compressed air will be encouraged to consider the benefits of genuine spare parts and factory-trained service engineers to protect the performance, reliability and efficiency of crucial compressed air systems.
The aim is to help compressed air users combat threats including lost productivity, growing energy bills and low sustainability through a range of service plans to suit differing needs and budgets. Mark Keen, Business Line Manager for the Compressor Technique Service (CTS) division, says: "Compressed air is crucial to production in many industry sectors, and yet there are still companies that take risks by using non-genuine parts or service engineers who are not specially trained by the manufacturer. The short-term gain of saving small sums of money are far outweighed by the increased risk of reduced performance, efficiency and reliability, and the threat of downtime is very real. That is why we so strongly recommend the use of genuine spare parts when replacing filters or oil, for example."
Experts from Atlas Copco will help Maintec visitors identify and protect against common causes of performance loss, not only with regard to the compressor itself but throughout the compressed air system, including the pipework. Among the products displayed on the stand will be AIRnet piping, which is designed to minimise pressure drop and is resistant to the corrosion that can cause leakages in older piping.
Leakages are the biggest source of energy waste in compressed air systems, with a leakage point as small as 5mm costing an estimated 3800 in wasted energy over the course of a full year.
Energy efficiency is also an important facet of ongoing maintenance, and compressed air users can benefit from an EPC assessment or a more detailed AIRscan audit to help ensure the six stages of optimisation are followed on an ongoing basis. Following the completion of the AIRScan audit, customers are provided with a detailed report that recommends system improvements. These can include replacement of equipment, detection and repair of leakages, improved control of pressure levels and closer alignment of output with demand. Furthermore, SmartLink technology enables remote monitoring of compressor performance, with real-time data transmitted to a PC or mobile device.
Reduce overall costs
Overall energy costs can be further reduced with the adoption of compressor energy recovery, whereby excess thermal energy from the compressor system is recovered and reused in other manufacturing processes, or for general heating and hot water purposes within the building.
Atlas Copco will be joined on the stand by Air Kraft Ltd, which was recently named as Atlas Copco's UK Distributor of the Year for 2014. In keeping with other Atlas Copco distributors, the company is able to supply and install the full Industrial Air range of compressed air equipment comprising fixed speed and VSD oil-injected rotary screw units from 5kW up to 90kW, together with Class Zero rated oil-injected compressors up to 55kW, and all of the piston, rotary tooth and scroll operated models, complemented with air quality equipment such as dryers, filters and air receivers. Air Kraft also offers AIRNet compressed air pipework, ad hoc and fixed price compressor maintenance packages, genuine Atlas Copco spare parts and other aftermarket services, such as SmartLink data monitoring.
To find out more about compressed air maintenance programmes, visit Atlas Copco and Air Kraft at Maintec 2015, 24-26 March, NEC, Birmingham, Stand M10G, or go to www.atlascopco.co.uk.
